Encouraging Pastors This Fall

Conference attendees in Luanda, Angola, this past August.

Dear Friend,

Thank you for continuing to pray, give, and stand side by side with Truth For Life as we seek to follow the Lord’s leading in the pursuit of our mission, which has taken us places we never imagined.

I wonder: Have you ever been to Angola or Mozambique? What if I tell you that you have! At recent conferences held in Luanda, Nampula, and Maputo, more than 470 pastors received needed encouragement and free copies of the Truth For Life devotional, Name Above All Names, The Christian Manifesto, and Preaching for God’s Glory—all in Portuguese and made possible because of your support. So, although you weren’t physically present, your participation from a distance made a significant impact.

In addition, it is your prayers and generosity that are enabling us to host a gathering of pastors here at Truth For Life for a one-day seminar during this month of pastor appreciation. Together, we’ll consider what it means to “keep a close watch on yourself … and your hearers.”

Faithful pastors, in shepherding the flocks that are among them, enter into the joys, sorrows, challenges, and difficulties of those under their care. It is fair to say that most are not “suffering” from a surfeit of encouragement. Allow me to encourage you to encourage them. A brief note, a post-sermon word of appreciation, and the assurance of your prayers on their behalf will go a long way in strengthening their hand in the Gospel.

On a personal note, there is one question that is now posed to me routinely: “So, what are you doing now?” Allow me to give you a rundown of my activities since June 8 to help you as you pray for me.

I had the opportunity to teach at The Cove in Asheville, North Carolina, June 16–18, at the Calvary Chapel Pastors’ Conference in California June 22–25, and at CAMP-of-the-WOODS in upstate New York as they celebrated their 125th anniversary in late July.

Personally, Susan and I celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary in North Carolina, where we honeymooned, and I had the joy of taking one of our granddaughters to Europe to celebrate her thirteenth birthday.

In August, I had the solemn privilege of conducting the private family service and burial of John MacArthur. Then on to September and speaking engagements at SING! in Nashville, chapel services at Cedarville University, and the KFAX 100th anniversary celebration in Fremont, California, followed by an event at YWAM in San Diego.

This month will begin with our Truth For Life board meeting. Then I’ll be addressing parents at Heritage Classical Academy, followed by opportunities to encourage pastors at events in Los Angeles, Syracuse, Bath, and Branson, Missouri.

In the midst of all of this, I am joined by my colleagues here at Truth For Life, sometimes by their presence with me but always by their prayers for me.

We look ahead recognizing that while a man’s heart devises his way, the Lord directs his steps.

Thank you for walking this road with us. In Christ, the best is always yet to be!

With my love in the Lord Jesus,

Alistair